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Krystallen (The Crystal)

is a new building which expands the current headquarters of Nykredit, a Danish banking company which also inhabits a few other buildings at the waterfront, around this fairly new architectural feature.
Because of it’s unique, almost crystallic design it was very appropriately nicknamed Krystallen (The Crystal).

Krystallen (The Crystal) was designed by Danish schmidt/hammer/lassen architects, and it looks almost floating and very lightweight. This is because of both the glass facades with the thin steel beams as the load-bearing elements, but also because of the weight of the building is being distributed down to only three spots on the ground!

Designed as a sustainable building with focus on energy effiency and indoor climate, Krystallen (The Crystal) has been optimized to meet the requirements of class 2 low-energy houses, a standard we have here in Denmark for buildings that – for example use the rain water for flushing the toilets, uses solar energy, and a series of other initiatives.

The structure of Krystallen (The Crystal)

has been designed and built to amaze the people passing by: With the distribution of the load through the building’s six floors, with all 7000 floor square meters filled with furniture and people, all the way down to one of the only three connections to the ground. In addition to it’s untraditional shape, in the front of the building is also a 35 meter long corbel – almost like a canopy! I’m sure the building engineers have pulled their hair for a long, long time, trying to figure out how to make this piece of art possible.

You can actually walk underneath the building, from one side to another – sit in the shade in warm summer-days, or just use it as a shortcut.

The courtyard

is intended to be a public square, where people can move about as they please. The square, appropriately named ‘Under Krystallen’ (Under the Crystal), is filled with hidden water nozzles in the trenches of steel. Every now and then the around 2,000 nozzles sprout water and transforms the square into a giant fountain!
This is an exciting take on an innovative transformation of the Copenhagen urban areas, and we hope to see more work like this in the future!

Located just a few minutes away from Copenhagen Central Station – and almost next to SEB Bank and it’s public park, we recommend any architecture-interested traveler to visit this square and building, and see the design and construction for yourself!

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Our ambition is to guide you through the city of Copenhagen and provide you with the best insider tips. We have lived in the city for several years studying and working. As locals we believe we can help you experience the real danish culture.